The Washington
Nationals are one of the most exciting young teams in baseball, featuring the
likes of Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg. They made an early exit from last
year’s playoffs, but are resolved to do even better this season, as they have
accumulated one of the most stacked rosters in the majors. Although they are
deep at most positions, especially pitching, they continue to cultivate a fine
crop of prospects who may be able to contribute them at any time if the need
should arise. Pitcher Ryan Tatusko is about to enter his seventh professional
season and is hoping that he will be among the first players considered in 2013
if the big league team needs any help.
Tatusko, a slender
right-hander, was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 18th
round of the 2007 draft out of Indiana State University.
He began his
career as a starter, and made slow progress until 2010, when he went 9-2 with a
2.97 ERA in 24 games (13 starts) at Double-A. By that time his prospect star
had risen to the point that he was part of the trade that sent him and fellow
pitching prospect Tanner Roark to Washington in exchange for veteran infielder
Cristian Guzman.
Since the trade,
Tatusko has transitioned to a reliever and spot starter. His arsenal includes a
low-90s fastball with a lot of movement, a curve and changeup.
He reached
Triple-A in 2011, but spent all of last season in Double-A, going 4-5 with a
3.50 ERA in 27 games (eight starts). He has averaged 7.0 strikeouts per nine
innings throughout his career. One of his best attributes may be his ability to
keep the ball in the park, as he has allowed just 33 home runs in 604.1
professional innings.
There is no doubt
that Tatusko is ready to take the next step and try his hand at pitching in the
majors. All he needs now is an opportunity, which he hopes comes as soon as
this season.
Ryan Tatusko Interview:
Who were your favorite team and player
growing up and why?: I really didn’t
have a favorite team, but as I kid I idolized Nolan Ryan. It just seemed
to me that he always had total control of the game from start to finish. I was
always amazed that he could pitch like the way he did into his 40s. I also
loved Nolan because he was not a command pitcher; he came at you with
everything he had, and if he walked you, so be it, but he would just attack the
next guy. Not many people know that Nolan is also the all-time walks leader,
and he has it by a considerable margin, so I loved watching him because he
worked out of jams and always seemed to come out unscathed. He was just an
electrifying pitcher to watch.
Can you run through what your draft
experience was like?: The draft
experience was a realization of a dream. I kind of had a notion that I was
going to be taken, but I didn’t quite know when. I was actually watching the
computer screen and listening to it with my mom. My dad was working, so when my
name got called in the 18th round, I called him immediately; it
was a very intimate experience. I am very fortunate to be blessed with this
experience, and I hope I can continue to play for many more years to come.
Can you describe what it was like being part of the Cristian Guzman trade in 2010 and what kind of assistance did you get in getting resettled?: I honestly didn’t know what to think when I first heard it. I mean obviously I was doing something right to catch the attention of a team and they wanted me. Knowing a team chose me from all the other minor leaguers that the Rangers had was an incredible feeling. I loved my time with the Rangers and I made a lot of friends, but I absolutely love the Nationals organization.
The biggest transition was from AL to
NL because now there is no DH, so a lot more pitching changes are being made
and it’s a different baseball game. Being in the bullpen, it gives me more opportunities
to pitch, so I always have to remain ready because there are so many different
situations that can be thrown your way.
The Nationals made the transition very
smooth. When Tanner Roark and I first arrived the Double-A Harrisburg team made
us feel extremely comfortable and two guys let us move in with them right away,
so that helped out a lot! As soon as Roark and I got to Harrisburg we weren’t
treated any differently, we were thrown in the mix and expected to perform just
like we had been all year, which I really liked. The transition was about as
smooth as it could have gone!
Can you talk a little bit about any differences in organizational approach between Washington and Texas when it comes to instructing their minor league pitchers?: I think all organizations are the same when it comes to approaching their pitchers. If things are working, then don’t fix it! When you get to the professional level, people got there and are doing things pretty much correctly or else they wouldn’t have gotten there. The organizational pitching coaches and rovers will make suggestions to you, but ultimately it is your career and it is up too you to make the adjustment or not. They are all just trying to help you advance, but it’s up to the individual player to be able to mold it to what they are doing or to accept it or not.
What pitches do you throw, and which one is your strongest and which one needs the most work?: I think my strongest pitch is my fastball. I am very blessed with a natural four-seam that sinks and cuts depending on the corner of the plate I am throwing it to. A lot of the times I will let it go down the middle of the plate and just let it do what it does, and it works for me. I would say my weakest pitch is my changeup; it just seems to have a mind of its own. Some days it’s working for me and I have all the confidence in the world in it, but then other days it’s flat as can be and it gets me in jams.
What is the anticipation like, being so
close to the major leagues now, but not having gotten the call-up yet?: You definitely feel it, and obviously every
kid growing up wants just one shot at the major leagues, and I am no different.
It’s hard not to think about being so close, but if you get caught up in being
that close then it can consume you, and if you don’t go out on the mound and
get people out then you can very easily be not as close (haha). Sometimes you
get caught up in thinking what if, but for the most part you have to just do
what you’ve always done and pray for the best outcome.
Can you talk a little bit about your
frame of mind when you were playing in Venezuela last offseason when Wilson
Ramos was kidnapped?: To be honest, I never felt insecure. The Margarita
Bravos did a first class job taking care of myself, my girlfriend, and my other
American teammates. We always had bodyguards around us if the team even had a
second thought about where we were going to eat or if the crowd might get too
hostile. I never really saw them have to go into action, but there were times
where we weren’t allowed to go down certain streets or leave a certain hotel
after nightfall just for security purposes. I absolutely loved playing down
there and I would go back in a heartbeat if a team asked me to come play again
next year.
Is it being difficult trying to make your mark in an
organization with such high profile prospects (Strasburg, Harper, etc...) in
recent years?: The Strasburgs and Harpers don’t come around
very often. Those are one of kind baseball players, but for every one of them
there are 1,000 people just like me struggling to make it. Watching guys like
Harper and Strasburg do what they do best, you can see why they have the
distinction of being in a class of their own; they are really just that good!
But I think having high-profile guys like that does nothing but good things for
the Nationals and the organization as a whole. The Nationals aren’t in the
highest profile market like Chicago, Boston or New York, so any time there can
be some limelight on our organization for whatever reason I think it can do
nothing but benefit everybody.
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